FHWA Field Restructuring

Effective October 1, 1998, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is streamlining its
field organization and strengthening program delivery by replacing its nine regional offices
with four "virtual" resource centers. These centers and their locations are as
follows: Eastern (Baltimore, Maryland), Southern (Atlanta, Georgia), Midwestern (Olympia
Fields, Illinois), and Western (San Francisco, California). They are referred to as
"virtual" because they will include for a temporary transition period while
personnel are being relocated the five former regional offices that will be closed.

The resource centers support the State-level division offices in their primary role of
program delivery to FHWA's partners and customers by providing leadership on strategic
initiatives, expert assistance on technical, process, and program issues; training; technology
transfer; intermodal and interagency coordination; legal services; and civil rights. Each
center serves a core constituency of Federal-aid and motor carrier division offices and Agency
partners and customers in designated States. The term "core constituency" means
that for the purpose of providing administrative supervision to the division offices, the
resource centers are assigned a designated group of States in their respective geographical
areas. However, specific technical expertise in a given resource center may be shared with
other resource centers and division offices throughout the country. The resource centers do
not exercise program control over the division offices, which are empowered to carry out the
Federal-aid and motor carrier programs within their respective States.

Full implementation of the restructured field organization, including the relocation of
personnel and closing of facilities, is expected to take place over a period of two years.

The FHWA is also developing a new Headquarters structure that will focus resources on core
business aligned with FHWA's strategic goals and objectives, reduce fragmentation and
duplication, align better with and serve the field, and improve collaboration throughout
the organization. The new structure as currently planned will include five core business
areas, namely, Planning and Environment, Infrastructure, Operations, Motor Carrier (see note) and
Highway Safety, and Federal Lands Highways, and eight cross-cutting support units, namely,
Policy; Administration; Research, Development, and Technology; Chief Counsel; Civil Rights;
Public Affairs; Professional Development; and Corporate Management. A detailed implementation
plan for the new Headquarters organization is being developed and will be finished by
December 31, 1998. Implementation will begin in January 1999.

Further changes to FHWA's web pages to reflect the new field structure are being developed
and will be posted over the next few days.